Manager Graeme Souness fears Newcastle
could be left with an injury crisis after playing their next four
Premiership games in the space of eight days.
Souness has had to deal with a depressing injury list all season
and fears the toll on his players over the festive period could
leave him back at square one, claiming those who arranged the games
'do not understand football'.
His side travel to Liverpool on Boxing Day before facing Charlton,
Tottenham and Middlesbrough by January 2.
'We have got a very hard programme, as everyone has,' said Souness.
'Whoever makes the decisions to play the games as close together as
they are obviously does not understand football.
'After the first game, you are risking everything.
'Muscle injuries occur when muscles are tired, so you are going
into the second on a wing and a prayer and then you get beyond the
second one, you are in the hands of the gods with injuries because
we will, like everybody else, suffer injuries over this
period.
'Who decides to play these games? If this is the best they could
come up with, I suggest they go into another job, because this is
not conducive to good football being played or the well-being of
the players.
'People pay good money to watch football, they buy season tickets,
they buy hospitality - whatever the ticket costs, it's a fortune to
them - and they are not seeing their players perform to their best
levels because too much is being asked of them.
'They will be trying to say it's the way Christmas has fallen or
New Year has fallen, but there must be something better than all
these games all at once.'
Souness, who has previously complained about the number of
international friendly games for which he is required to release
players, is finally starting to see good news on the injury
front.
The Scot has been able to name five of the men missing in recent
weeks - Celestine Babayaro, Stephen Carr, Steven Taylor, Emre and
Charles N'Zogbia - in his squad for the trip to Anfield.
Although with his side having won their last two games against
Arsenal and West Ham, Souness may resist the temptation to rush too
many of them back too soon.
With Scott Parker suspended after reaching five yellow cards, Emre
could be pressed into service, while Babayaro could take over from
Robbie Elliott at left-back.
Central defender Taylor has been training after an initial setback
in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder, although further damage
could mean surgery which will sideline him for up to 10
weeks.
Meanwhile, Souness moved to add his own dismissal to suggestions
that £9.5million winger Albert Luque could be on his way out of
Newcastle after just four months.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have reportedly expressed an interest in
taking the former Deportivo La Coruna player back to his native
Spain.
A torn hamstring has limited Luque to just four appearances this
season, but following chairman Freddy Shepherd's insistence that he
is going nowhere, Souness added his view.
He said: 'Someone has taken a flier on a story and as far as I'm
concerned, it's a load of nonsense.'
